A policy proposal which would have prohibited the feeding of unpasteurised milk to livestock on officially TB withdrawn (OFTW) premises has been withdrawn.
The proposal was put forward in the Welsh government’s 2021 Refreshed TB Programme consultation.
It was opposed by some due to cost, the impracticalities of attempting to pasteurise individual mothers' milk for each calf and the welfare benefits of colostrum in the first few days of life.
Following the consultation, farming union officials met with Welsh government to highlight concerns and to discuss the relative cost-benefit of introducing this measure.
Dr Hazel Wright, acting head of policy at the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW), said the union had spent 'a great deal of time and effort' presenting its concerns.
"We are therefore extremely pleased that our concerns have been heard and that this has resulted in a positive policy change," she said.
“It is important for calf welfare that calves are provided with their mothers colostrum and milk for the first few days of life.
"Given the immense impracticalities of attempting to pasteurise individual mothers milk for each calf, this proposal could have detrimentally affected calf welfare.”
As part of its consultation response, the FUW highlighted that while there may be significant risk in individual cases, the overall importance of milk borne transmission in the epidemic was 'probably low or negligible'.
Given the relative risk, the union said it did not believe that this was a priority issue, believing that resources would be better spent elsewhere.
Dr Wright said: “Whilst this proposal will not now be taken forward, we are encouraging cattle keepers to speak to their vet to understand the risk posed by milk borne transmission on their own individual premises."
